I love the watercolor illustrations of Nicole Wong. I am lucky to have one of her original ACEO’s in my collection. This  one is still for sale.

Happy Friday!!

To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.  ~e.e. cummings

There’s a lot of pressure out there in blogland to live up to a certain aesthetic ideal when it comes to weddings. And sometimes all of these pretty images can cast a spell. Pretty soon you don’t know if the wedding you’re creating is something that you really want – or something you’ve been seduced into having.

I encourage you to think about your wedding. Find a quiet space and reflect on the things that matter to you. How can you incorporate the things that make you UNIQUE as a couple?

Darin and I will be celebrating nine years this year. We planned our Big Day before wedding blogs existed. Hence, we weren’t subjected to thousands of images of picture perfect weddings, which in a way, was a blessing. We had our own blank canvas. The elements in our wedding truly came from the heart.

We DIYed (there was no term DIY wedding back then!) just about everything but the food and music. My sister in law made the invitations. She also helped me, my mother and maid of honour make the bouquets and centerpieces. I made handmade soap and CD’s for wedding favors.

We chose a venue that had the most meaning to us (our backyard) and we had live Scottish and Irish bands because we love Celtic music. Our getaway car was a vintage rolls because we loved the idea of an old car. That was before vintage was the biggest buzzword going.

We did not feel pressure to live up to the latest, greatest real wedding. Our wedding was authentically us.

There are many great things about wedding blogs. They are a source of great information and inspiration. They can save brides time, money and headaches. But they can also hypnotize.

Stay awake on your wedding journey. Enjoy the sights along the way, but stay true to your own path.

One of my favourite books in high school was F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby.

The Great Gatsby is more than a great story – it offers a fascinating glimpse into the roaring twenties and prohibition era – which make it an incredible source of inspiration for a vintage wedding!

As I was searching for images on The Great Gatsby themed weddings to share with you, I stumbled up the Art Deco Society of Oakland, Calfornia. Every year for the past 26 years the society has hosted the Gatsby Summer Afternoon, an event that pretty much blew my mind. I swear I would travel across the country to experience it just once!

“The  Gatsby Summer Afternoon lets several hundred aficionados of the 1920s and 30s step back to a time when elegance was a way of life and the Charleston and fox trot were all the rage.This is not a spectator event. From 1-6pm the panoramic Dunsmuir {an 1899 neoclassical revival mansion} front lawn becomes a stage on which all participants picnic, dance and sip champagne, reminiscent of a scene from The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous novel of 1925 …. With everyone attending this event in period fashions, the effect is stunning! Many guests bring period-perfect picnics, with settings from elaborate spreads, complete with silver, crystal, linens and china, to simple wicker baskets on vintage print tablecloths.”

Can you imagine?

As one participate wrote:

“People take this day seriously. Quite damn seriously. I like to think of this day as Burning Man for those who bathe and prefer a strong cocktail over sand and hallucinogens,”  says Mena, whose experience is featured on Nested.

In fact, if you read Mena’s story, preparing a picnic for the Gatbsy Summer Afternoon didn’t sound all that much different from planning a small, outdoor wedding reception. Here are some photos from her picnic:

{Below: She purchased authentic vintage soda labels on Etsy, and filled her own bottles with beverages that matched the labels.}

Hmm… I wonder if they’ve had any weddings on site at the Gatsby Summer Afternoon?

First Photo: Gatsby themed wedding shot by Josh Goleman; Second, Third, Forth Photo: Nested

Ulrika, 34 & Emil, 34

Öregrund, a small picturesque town in Sweden.

Wedding Date: May 20, 2010

Number of Guests: 10 (Emil’s parents, sister and partner, Ulrika’s mother, father and wife, brother and Emil and Ulrika’s two sons Axel and Isak).

Wedding Cost: $12,000 USD

Wedding Ceremony Location: Öregrunds kyrka

Wedding Reception Location: Hotel Floras Trädgård, Öregrund

Why did you have an intimate wedding?

We chose an intimate wedding for different reasons. At first we felt different about how big the wedding should be. Ulrika wanted a bigger wedding and Emil preferred a small one. Afterward, Ulrika felt very lucky that they went for a small wedding. It was so great! Small, perfect and one of the happiest days in our lives. Another reason why we chose an intimate wedding was the lack of time to arrange a big wedding. With two small kids, a house and full time jobs it’s difficult to find the extra time.

When I was in my twenties and living at home I remember my dad buying me a heart-shaped box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day. It was his way of cheering me up about not having a boyfriend.  That’s the kind of stuff my dad did.

He was – and is – an expert at making people feel better.

When I was a kid he always managed to get me to stop crying. No matter how big my sobs. In my tumultuous teens, after break ups with boyfriends or quarrels with friends, my dad could always console me. I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I knew he deeply cared about me. No matter what.

But it’s also his cheery disposition. My dad radiates cheerfulness. He doesn’t do grumpy.

There are two other special dads in my life; my father-in-law and my husband. They’re amazing men, and exceptional fathers. I am so fortunate to have these guys in my life – and so are my two daughters.

Here’s to you wonderful dads of the world! I hope you know how much you are loved!

Photo: Pinning the boutonniere on my day on my wedding day, September 1, 2001. (Was it really that long ago!)